10/25/2013 09:45

Hell Militia

Hell Militia bassist LSK dead

French metal bassist LSK (a truncated form of her original nom de guerre, Hellsukkubus) has died at the age of 36. Marianne was well-known in the European black metal underground, primarily as a member of notorious French acts like Antaeus, Hell Militia, and Vorkreist. Despite her fearsome pedigree, she also demonstrated her range and versatility by performing with the symphonic metal band Love Lies Bleeding and German occult metallers Secrets Of The Moon.

LSK garnered much respect among her peers, in part because of her enigmatic nature. Not only was she a ferocious performer, but she was a dedicated metal musician first and foremost. The fact that she was among a mere handful of women in a male-oriented scene was incidental; she brought her music to the stage with authority and never used gender as a disclaimer. She represented an unwavering conviction to the music and the forces behind it, consequences be damned.

While much has been made about "women in metal" by the boutique metal media outlets, this woman remained out of their range, simply because she didn't adhere to any of the standard definitions. She was forever clad in leather pants and a cut off band shirt, wielding an angular bass guitar, and capped by a storm of black hair and an even blacker aura. It wasn't unusual for her to be bleeding as she performed; it was a way of calling upon the demons within and putting them on display.

In extreme music, death often comes with the territory, but it makes the loss no less poignant. In these circles it's not just a blow to friends and family, but to the movement as a whole. Rare presences are exactly that, and LSK was definitely one of a kind. Like those who passed before her, we must keep her memory aflame by celebrating her music, and remain unafraid to reflect on where that darkness may take us. Consequences be damned.

(source: Examiner.com)